Policosanol content and composition of wheat varieties as affected by environment

BACKGROUND: Policosanol (PC) is a mixture of high-molecular-weight aliphatic primary saturated alcohols which possesses cholesterol-lowering properties. Literature on PC contents and compositions of wheat varieties is limited. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype and environment on PC content and composition in wheat grain.RESULTS: Grain samples were collected from three varieties, Jagger, Trego and Intrada, grown at three locations, Alva, Balko and Goodwell, OK, in 2005. Two sets of samples were obtained from Goodwell (irrigated and dryland samples). Total PC content and PC composition in whole wheat grain samples were determined using a gas chromatography system. PC contents of the whole wheat grain samples varied from 15.9 to 28.7 mg kg⁻¹. Tricosanol, tetracosanol, hexacosanol, octacosanol and triacontanol were the most abundant PC components. Within each location a significant variety effect was observed. There was also a significant location x variety random effect on PC content.CONCLUSION: A fundamental understanding of compositional variation in wheat grain requires multi-environment testing of genotypes, perhaps over several years. This study is the first step towards achieving this goal by revealing significant genetic differences in a limited set of genotypes. Copyright